Derrick Jones Jr. throws down ferocious between-the-legs dunk (Video)

Derrick Jones Jr. did his best to try and save the 2017 Slam Dunk Contest after Aaron Gordon crashed and burned in the opening round.

In the 2016 Slam Dunk Contest last year, Aaron Gordon lost a tight and controversial battle with Zach LaVine. But with Gordon putting up a dud in the opening round, Derrick Jones Jr. wanted to leave no doubt that he was the best dunker in the NBA/D-League.

Derrick Jones Jr. only has seven NBA games to his name. But with the way he was doing in his native dunk contest, you’d think that he was a seasoned vet. His first attempt saw him dunk over practically the entire Phoenix Suns team, so it was a bit of a surprise that he only enlisted Devin Booker for his second attempt. However, he managed to out-do himself with this masterpiece of a dunk:

The reason why everyone loved Gordon and LaVine’s battle was because they came up with some ultra creative dunks without the use of props. They electrified the whole building like they were Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins. Seeing Gordon go back on that principle by using a drone was a sign that he was going to lose, and that his foot injury was holding him back.

What Jones and Glenn Robinson have done is closer to what LaVine and Gordon did. That’s why they made it to the final round. It also gave Jones a chance to make his case for a full-time NBA contract. He can’t be any worse than Dragan Bender, can he?

Next: 5 things we need to see on NBA All-Star Saturday Night

After seeing what Jordan Kilgannon did in last year’s All-Star Game, it’s no surprise to see the best dunks of the contest come from no-names like Derrick Jones Jr. and Glenn Robinson III.